In the day-to-day work of running a business, leaders are typically managing an endless list of responsibilities that all seemingly need their attention. While this is manageable within a smaller business, a growing organization requires a different approach to the job, as getting bogged down in nonessential tasks is a surefire way to waste both time and money.
To ensure they are making the best use of their limited time, it’s crucial for leaders to identify, reduce or delegate tasks to those with the bandwidth to get them done. Below, 14 Forbes Business Council members each share one tip a leader can use to start identifying nonessential tasks in their business and eliminate them.
1. Reflect On How You Spend Your Time
Nonessential tasks are by far your biggest block to innovation. This is a daily challenge that requires daily intervention. Start your day by asking yourself two questions: “What is one thing on my to-do list that belongs to someone else?” and “What is one thing I’m doing that can free me to do something more intentional?” Being more reflective about what you do is your gateway to sanity and creativity. – Loubna Noureddin, Mind Market
2. Ask The Purpose Of Each Task
One practical step is to ask your team the purpose of their various tasks. Too often, I have heard the reasoning that we always do this report, task or meeting, but no one can explain how it furthers our objectives. So, we have just stopped doing those things and have redirected that time to more objective-oriented activities. We all have activity blind spots and need to regularly assess each task’s value. – Doug Flaig, Stratus Building Solutions
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
3. Use Your Messaging As A Guide
At BZI, we have clearly articulated the organization’s purpose, vision, values and mission and shared it to help communicate our expectations across the company. When challenges arise, we use this messaging as our North Star to guide leadership to overcome obstacles internally and with our clients. This includes what we consider to be tasks that are not moving the business forward meaningfully. – James Barlow, BZI
4. Follow The 80/20 Rule
Use the 80/20 rule to determine the importance of a task. Is this a critical item for a critical customer, supplier or employee? If so, get it done right away. Never let important tasks become urgent. If it isn’t for the critical few or the 20% that drive 80% of results, then it likely isn’t essential and should either be delegated or deleted. – Dave Philippi, Strategex
5. Leverage Data
Wherever possible, leverage data. This can include open rates, watch rates, download rates of content or files, attendance rates and contribution rates of meetings as well as quick anonymous pulse surveys. Periodically review all recurring meetings to assess frequency and attendees. Don’t forget to keep your eyes on what really matters. – Linnea Geiss, PDI Technologies
6. Seek Feedback From Employees
Employee involvement is essential, so leverage upward communications. On a quarterly basis, ask all employees to list the tasks and processes that are working well, which could be working better and which ones need to stop. Categorize and consolidate the information and prioritize. Ask employees to come up with solutions, when needed. – Kent Gregoire, Stakeholder Business
7. Assign Every Task A Value
Put a dollar value per hour to every task. Is it worth $5,000, $500, $50 or less per hour. Delegate those less valuable tasks to other people at a lower cost. – Sean Languedoc, Outforce
8. Do A Time And Motion Study
A powerful way to identify and eliminate waste is a time and motion study, but first consider what your purpose or goal is. Then simply track for a day or more what you spend your time doing. Honestly consider what you could have delegated, deleted or not done at all or designated or moved to a better time slot in your schedule. You will be surprised at how much time is released. – Marian Evans, Elevate BC Ltd
9. Focus On Tasks Only You Can Do
I think you just have to constantly ask yourself whether there is someone else who could do this to free up time for you to focus on things that only you can do. You have to be able to delegate in order to put the time and energy into things that only you can do for your business. You can’t get caught up in the minutia. – Hoda Mahmoodzadegan, Molly’s Milk Truck
10. Keep A Daily Journal
A daily journal (on paper or on an app) is the best way to monitor how you spend your time, whether it’s purposeful or not. What you don’t measure doesn’t exist, so define your objectives, write down what tasks you have to do to get there and measure the timing. Doing all this daily can take five minutes and save you from losing time and money in the end. – Magda Paslaru, THE RAINBOWIDEA
11. Define A Task By Its Impact On Revenue
Any leader may ask themself one simple question: “Will the completion of this task lead to the production of revenue or to the reduction of expenses?” If the answer is no, the task is nonessential and the leader must move to a task that is essential. Focus on tasks that either increase revenue or reduce expenses. – ‘Smitty’ Robert J. Smith, Robert J. Smith Productions
12. Determine How Often The Task Comes Up
If you’re trying to identify nonessential tasks to eliminate them in your business, ask yourself how often this task comes up. If it’s something that can be delegated or automated, you’ll not only free up time but also won’t be distracted to begin with. Far too often, we focus on the time a task takes but forget about the time it takes to go back to what we were doing before the interruption. – Chris Clear, Clear Storage Group, LLC
13. Consider If A Task Can Be Automated
I have a bias towards automation and have always felt there is a direct correlation with nonessential tasks. Specifically, look at each task and ask whether it can be automated. If so, there is a very good chance that it is a nonessential task and a 100% chance you can create a new efficiency in the business by automating the task. – Jason Foodman, Leaf.page
14. Keep The Big Picture In Mind
To identify and eliminate nonessential tasks, leaders should step back and ask, “Does this task bring us closer to our core objectives?” If the answer is no, it’s likely a task you can cut or delegate. Many times, we lose sight of the big picture. By routinely questioning the value each task adds to your ultimate goals, you create a self-correcting system that naturally weeds out the nonessentials. – Chris Kille, Payment Pilot
Read the full article here
